Page 140 - Never Fly Solo

ABORT! ABORT! | 113
tially serious safety incident. I had to come to grips with the
need to abort the ego, which ultimately causes more lapses in
judgment than just about anything else in business and in life.
Most important, what I learned from this experience is
that it’s normal to be scared. It’s part of what makes us human.
We can’t be fearless superheroes all the time and fly every
mission.
So, I challenge you to reflect deeply on your purpose and
on who needs you. Also, think about the consequences if you
should quit. Find out what gives meaning to your mission,
and you will be able to gather the strength and courage to
press on despite your fears. And finally, get out of your head
and abort your ego—you’ll be able to make a much more
informed and qualified decision about whether to take off or
abort.

WINGMEN HELP US BAIL OUT WHEN WE NEED
TO ABORT
On every mission, fighter pilots are briefed with a go/no-go
decision that details our abort criteria. This is the point at
which we must decide: continue to the target, or abort? If we
abort, we turn around as fast as possible and regroup or wait
to fly another day. But once past the go/no-go point, we are
committed to the target.
In March 2000, a good friend of mine, “Moose,” was
performing at an air show in Texas. Tremendously experi-
enced, he was the West Coast F-16 demo pilot and flew doz-
ens of special solo performances every year. One windy day
in Texas, Moose misjudged his altitude at the top of a split-S
maneuver, and while upside down and pulling through the